"The King's Jewel?"
Lin Ce's eyes lit up.
Since becoming the chief镖头 (bodyguard/escort), his employer, Su Caiying, had sent him some catalogs. He would casually flip through them whenever he had free time, and thus gained some knowledge of many valuable items.
The pearl in front of us is one of them.
These precious pearls are said to come from the king of the deep sea, and the best ones are said to be worth a thousand pieces of gold.
The one that Yu Jiu took out had a hazy glow that could cover a radius of five or six feet. Although it wasn't the best, it was still quite good.
Such a bead could probably fetch two or three thousand taels of silver without any problem.
Lin Ce somewhat understood why the Sea Hunters were hunted by martial artists.
The saying goes, "Possessing a treasure is a crime." Someone who can casually pull out a "precious pearl" would be hunted down by nine out of ten people.
"You're taking out something like this just to save face for me? Are you incredibly audacious or just plain stupid?"
These words caused Yu Jiu's expression to change slightly.
But he forced a smile and shook his head.
"Our Sea Hunter clan may not be the strongest in terms of martial prowess, but we believe we have a unique advantage in terms of keen senses."
Yu Jiu stared intently at Lin Ce, "I can tell that Chief Escort Lin isn't that kind of person."
"hehe."
Lin Ce was surprised to be praised and didn't know whether he should be happy or not.
He pushed away the "King of Pearls" offered to him, shook his head, and asked the question that concerned him most.
"You said that martial artists are hunting you down, so are there martial artists chasing after you now, trying to kill you? How strong are those martial artists?"
That's the most important thing.
Due to the constraints imposed by the "King of Escorts," once both parties have a clear intention to cooperate, he can no longer refuse to accept the escort mission. Therefore, he must confirm some things beforehand.
That is, whether this escort mission will exceed one's capabilities.
If that's the case, accepting this dart is practically suicide.
"Our Sea Hunter warriors were hunted down half a year ago. We were caught off guard. Some of our people died and others scattered. I escaped from the near sea and fled along the river to this place. I did not encounter those hunters again along the way."
Yu Jiu was feeling down.
“We Sea Hunters have many communities. I don’t know about the other communities, but our community is just a near-shore community. The three strongest members are only at the seventh rank. It was they who temporarily held off the suddenly appearing hunters, which gave the other members of our clan a chance to escape.”
"Three seventh-rank officials..."
Lin Ce quickly calculated in his mind.
Killing Liu Tianwang, an eighth-rank official, wouldn't be particularly difficult for him, but what about a seventh-rank official?
For him now, becoming a seventh-grade martial artist no longer seems like an unattainable goal.
With the boost from the "King of Escorts" system, my martial arts level will continue to improve, and I should be able to reach the seventh rank in no time.
Lin Ce made a decision quickly.
"Alright, I'll take this courier job. Protecting you for half a year is not impossible, but this 'King of Shells Pearl' is not the reward I want."
Seeing Yu Jiu's somewhat puzzled expression, Lin Ce laughed.
"It's better to save yourself than to ask others for help. How about this, you join our escort agency and become a bodyguard. In six months, I'll find an opportunity to send you to the southern port of Sihai Prefecture."
Yu Jiu blinked, then suddenly realized.
"I understand. You mean I should pretend to be a bodyguard and hide in the escort agency, then set off for Sihai Prefecture in six months? As expected, the chief bodyguard has thought things through. This is indeed a better plan."
"No, I mean you really become a bodyguard for a security company... well, you can interpret it that way if you want."
Lin Ce didn't want to dwell on these things, so he looked at Yu Jiu seriously and asked:
"So, you've decided to entrust this business to someone else? It's agreed that for at least the next six months, you'll officially become a bodyguard for our Sihai Escort Agency. Any questions?"
"No problem."
Upon hearing Yu Jiu's response, Lin Ce immediately noticed the changes in his "King of Escorts" system.
[With three bodyguards in the escort agency, the second "King of Escorts" entry is officially activated.]
Lin Ce was overjoyed.
He couldn't resist the urge to return to the escort agency immediately, then take on a large number of simple escort missions and have the agency's three bodyguards escort them.
Of course, this is just something to think about for now.
He was equally concerned about the unique secret technique of those sea hunters, "Sea Mirage Sound".
Hopefully, Yu Jiu's talent isn't too bad, and that "Sea Mirage Sound" will break through to another realm as soon as possible.
However, with a six-month period and the "unity of purpose" effect, it's likely that as long as one isn't an idiot, there shouldn't be any problems.
"Fish Escort, from now on you are a member of our escort agency. The world is dangerous, so never relax and keep practicing your skills."
Lin Ce patted the newly recruited "fish dart master" on the shoulder and spoke earnestly.
Yu Jiu's expression stiffened slightly.
Lin Ce, who withdrew his hand, was also somewhat surprised.
Just now, he felt that Yu Jiu's body was excessively thin.
It seems there are still some slight differences between what I see with my own eyes and what I see with my own eyes.
Could it be due to not eating or sleeping well during the past six months of wandering and fleeing?
That won't do. What if it affects the subsequent breakthrough of "Sea Mirage"?
"Everyone, quicken your pace. There's a tavern not far ahead. I'll treat you all to a big meal."
After informing the members of the escort team that Yu Jiu had become a bodyguard, Lin Ce urged everyone to hurry forward.
Although the members of the escort team were very surprised, their trust in Lin Ce as the chief escort made them quickly accept this fact.
Only Li Qingshan kept staring at Yu Jiu with hostile eyes, as if he wanted to stab a hole in him with his sword at any moment.
Yu Jiu naturally noticed this, but simply smiled and didn't take it to heart.
Soon, as the wind subsided, the members of the caravan gradually forgot about the incident.
They naturally assumed that there was already a third bodyguard in the caravan, Yu Jiu.
This was done after consulting Lin Ce.
Half a year is not a short time. If people continue to know that there is a special person in the escort agency, it will not be a good thing for the agency's safety.
Those hunters might come knocking on our door.
But Lin Ce's gaze toward Yu Jiu was clearer than ever before.
He discovered that Yu Jiu's "Mirage Sound" still had weaknesses.
Once you become aware of the target and mentally lock onto it, constantly sending warnings to yourself from the bottom of your heart, then the other party's "mirage sound" will have little effect on you.
Of course, it's also possible that Yu Jiu's "sea mirage sound" is not yet fully mastered.
It is said that the reason why these rookie sea hunters were able to escape was largely due to the older generation of sea hunters using the "sea mirage" to confuse the attacking hunters, making them believe that no one had escaped.
Besides Lin Ce, Li Qingshan also vaguely sensed something was amiss in the entire escort team.
He was the second strongest member of the escort team after Lin Ce, and he had a great deal of resentment towards Yu Jiu, so he wasn't easily swayed by misconceptions.
The "Mirage Sound" will not have a good effect on his misguided guidance.
"Hey, where are you from? When did you become a bodyguard?"
Li Qingshan's reason and illusions kept clashing.
Seeing his expression, Lin Ce knew that he would eventually see through the deception and couldn't hide it from him for long.
"Li Qingshan, Yu Jiu, come here for a moment."
Rather than letting Li Qingshan cause an even bigger disturbance later, it's better to tell him in advance.
"So that's how it is. Tsk tsk, this kind of method probably deserves to be listed on the 'List of Extraordinary Achievements'."
After learning the truth, Li Qingshan looked at Yu Jiu again, his eyes shining brightly.
"Um, could you help me create the illusion that I look ordinary? I have to endure the stares of others wherever I go, and to be honest, it's really exhausting."
"Chief镖头, this..."
Yu Jiu turned to look at Lin Ce, her face full of confusion.
"Don't worry about him, you'll get used to it."
Lin Ce calmly shook his head, then used one of the skill points he received as a reward for this escort mission to upgrade "Great Ginseng Skill," which he had just gained some insights into.
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